Middle East

3 confess to trafficking Bangladeshis to Libya

Three members of a gang linked to the trafficking of 26 Bangladeshis killed in Libya on May 28 today confessed to a magistrate that they had trafficked a number of people including Md Rakib who had been missing since that date.
Qatar Airways closes Dhaka office temporarily

Qatar Airways temporarily closed its Dhaka office from today after seeing a huge rush of ticket-buyers. The office was closed to maintain social distancing, with the airlines requesting passengers to book tickets via phone or email.
Saudi Arabia endorses Bangladesh’s Covid-19 response and recovery plan

Saudi Arabia has endorsed Bangladesh’s proposal to form a Covid-19 Response and Recovery Plan to save lives and livelihood in the member countries of the Organizaton of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
751 Bangladeshi workers return from Dubai

A total of 751 Bangladeshi workers returned home from Dubai by two special flights today.
677 Bangladeshi workers return from Kuwait, UAE, Maldives

A total of 677 Bangladeshi citizens, most of whom are migrant workers, have returned from Kuwait, UAE and Maldives by three separate special flights since Monday.
'Honour killing' of 14-year-old sparks outcry in Iran

A father's brutal killing of his teenage daughter over her relationship with a man causes widespread anger in Iran, with President Hassan Rouhani urging lawmakers to work quickly on a bill to prevent violence against women.
Saudi Arabia abolishes flogging

Saudi Arabia has abolished flogging as a punishment, the state human rights commission says, hailing a "major step forward" in the reform programme launched by the king and his powerful son.
312 Bangladeshis arrive from Saudi Arabia

A total of 312 Bangladeshis, including 13 cabin crew, returned to Dhaka from Saudi Arabia.
Yemen confirms first coronavirus case

Yemen has reported its first coronavirus case in Hadhramaut Governorate, supreme national emergency committee tweets.
Mecca, Medina get 24-hour curfew; Gulf migrant worker districts locked down

Saudi Arabia imposes a 24-hour curfew in the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, extending measures to combat coronavirus, while other Gulf Arab states lock down districts with large migrant worker populations.
Saudi-led raids hit Yemen’s Sanaa

The Saudi-led military coalition on Monday carried out multiple air strikes on Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa in retaliation for missile strikes on Riyadh.
Taliban kill dozens of Afghan troops in attacks

The Taliban have killed about two dozen Afghan police and pro-government fighters, officials said yesterday, in two attacks that come as the foes are supposed to be preparing for peace talks.
Undocumented Bangladeshis in Qatar can take free treatment at hospitals

Bangladeshi expatriates in Qatar, whose identity cards have already expired or have been living there illegally due to other reasons during the coronavirus pandemic, can take free treatment at hospitals in the Gulf country.
Warring sides in Yemen back coronavirus truce

All sides in Yemen’s long conflict yesterday offered support for the United Nations’ call for a ceasefire to protect civilians from the coronavirus pandemic.
Rockets hit Iraq’s Green Zone

Two rockets slammed into the Iraqi capital’s high-security Green Zone early yesterday, hours before US-led forces were set to pull out of a second base in the country.
Libya reports first coronavirus case

Libya has reported its first case of the novel coronavirus, a particular source of concern in the North African country where civil war has badly degraded the public healthcare system.
Gunmen in kill 25 at Sikh complex

Gunmen and suicide bombers raided a Sikh religious complex in the Afghan capital of Kabul yesterday, killing 25 people before security forces killed all of the attackers, the government said.
US reduces Afghan aid over impasse

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his rival Abdullah Abdullah showed no sign of ending their bitter feud yesterday, even after it cost the impoverished nation $1 billion in US aid -- with yet more on the line.
UN urges easing of sanctions on Iran, others facing virus

The UN rights chief yesterday called for any sanctions imposed on countries like Iran facing the new coronavirus pandemic to be “urgently re-evaluated” to avoid pushing strained medical systems into collapse.
UNHCR sends medical aid to combat Covid-19 spread in Iran

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN refugee agency, airlifts more than four tonnes of medical aid items, including supplies to support the Covid-19 response in Iran.
Saudi imposes curfew to curb coronavirus spread

Saudi Arabia imposes a nationwide curfew starting after reporting a jump of almost a quarter in coronavirus cases, while the United Arab Emirates will suspend all passenger and transit flights to and from the country.
Iran's coronavirus deaths rise to 1,556: health ministry

Iran’s death toll from the coronavirus outbreak rises by more than 100 to 1,556 and the total number of people infected now exceeds 20,000, a health ministry official says.
Insider attack kills 24 Afghan forces

At least two dozen Afghan security forces were killed yesterday in an insider attack on their base in southern Afghanistan, officials told AFP, as fighting raged in the war-weary country while efforts to start talks with the Taliban stalled.
Qatar suspends entry for travellers from Bangladesh, 13 other countries

Qatar has temporarily suspended entry for people from Bangladesh and 13 other countries as a preventive measure due to the spread of coronavirus worldwide.
Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia halts travel with 9 nations, shuts educational institutes

Saudi Arabia imposed a temporary lockdown on its eastern oil-producing province of Qatif, home to most of its 15 coronavirus infections, and suspended schools and universities nationwide.
UN calls for immediate freeze of military operations in Yemen

UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths calls for an immediate end to military action by Yemen’s warring parties as renewed violence between the Houthi movement and a Saudi-led coalition threatens peace efforts.
Saudi detains three royal princes over 'coup plot'

Saudi authorities have detained three princes including King Salman's brother and nephew on charges of plotting a coup, the US media report, signalling a further consolidation of power by the kingdom's de facto ruler.
At least 27 killed in attack on Afghan political rally

At least 27 people are killed in an attack on a political rally in Kabul, officials say, in the deadliest assault in Afghanistan since the US signed a withdrawal deal with the Taliban.
‘The cave’ in Idlib

In a field dotted with olive trees in embattled northwestern Syria, Shamseddeen Darra steps down into the gloomy underground shelter he and his family now call home.
Saudi Arabia suspends entry for Umrah, tourism amid coronavirus scare

Saudi Arabia suspends foreigners' entry for the Umrah pilgrimage and tourism from countries where the new coronavirus has spread, as a growing number of cases outside China deepened fears of a pandemic.